Entrepreneurs: Jen Guzman, C.E.O. of Stella & Chewy’s
by Miki Saxon
I’ve worked for years with the tech world, particularly startups and young/growing companies mostly run by guys.
Too often by guys who know it all and/or have little use for wisdom that comes from outside the tech world.
What I tell them is that wisdom comes from everywhere and every level and if they plan to succeed they had better open their minds along with their ears.
What can you learn from an entrepreneur who sells dog food?
A hell of a lot, actually.
Jen Guzman is C.E.O. of Stella & Chewy’s, which sold $8 million worth of organic veggie/raw meat frozen or freeze-dried dog and cat food nationally in 2010 and making it number 424 on the Inc. 5000 in 2011.
Eight million dollars isn’t chickenfeed and I know of no business of any size that wouldn’t kill for comparable testimonials.
Here are three major (IMO) points that any founder would do well to remember.
The right candidate isn’t always a star or the strongest or possess the hottest skills.
The right one is the one who fits best.
I try to hire the best person for what the organization needs, and who can fit into the culture, rather than just hiring the person with the strongest résumé.
These are great questions to ask a candidate, but paraphrased, they are also great questions for investors to ask an entrepreneur.
Why do you want this job? Why do you think you would be good at this job? And what do you think are the five most important qualities or things that you need to be good at this job?
Guzman came from private equity where one of her jobs was assessing potential CEOs.
I looked for people who could explain their business and how they were going to succeed in simple terms, as in: “This is my business model. This is why it works. This is what I think we’re going to achieve next year, and this is how we’re going to do it.” Someone who can boil it down to something very simple, to me, really has their arms around their business. If it’s too complex, how are their employees going to follow it?
The key here is “simple;” a term often seen as offensive when used in conjunction with any one, let alone all, of her questions.
Out of the hundreds of entrepreneurs I’ve talked with over the years maybe a third of them could respond well to these questions.
Be sure you are one of them.
Flickr image credit: Stella & Chewy’s
May 24th, 2015 at 1:25 pm
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